JPS61230132A - Erasure unit for memory type fluorescent material sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To secure erasure by moving a memory type fluorescent body where a radiation image is recorded by an image recording part in a device by using plural endless conveyor belts, and then reading the image by a readout part simultaneously and then erasing a necessary part when the fluorescent body reaches an erasure part. CONSTITUTION:The image recording part 16 which records the image on the memory type fluorescent body sheet 150 is provided to one side wall part of a housing which constitutes the device and the sheet 150 after being exposed is moved down vertically while clamped by guide members. This sheet 150 is received by an L-shaped conveyor belt 30, passed to a belt 32 arranged horizontally, and then conveyed to upper belts 36 and 42 parallel to the belt 32. At this time, a reflecting mirror 66 for light convergence is provided at the horizontal joint part between the belts 32 and 42 and utilized to read the image by the readout part 62 which incorporates a laser light source 64, a light converging optical element 68, and a photomultiplier 70. Then, the sheet 150 is elevated vertically, a desired area is erased by an erasure unit 100 which is provided in the middle, and the processed sheet is discharged from the housing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an erasing unit for a stimulable phosphor sheet, and more specifically, when erasing a radiation image remaining on a stimulable phosphor sheet by irradiating erasing light, the present invention relates to an erasing unit for a stimulable phosphor sheet. In an erasing unit configured to forcibly escape generated hot air to the outside using an exhaust fan, the stimulable phosphor sheet conveyed inside the erasing unit is heated to a desired temperature while the exhaust fan is energized. The present invention relates to an erasing unit for a stimulable phosphor sheet, which is configured to guide the stimulable phosphor sheet to a position and perform erasing processing of image information remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet by irradiating erasing light unevenly.

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a radiographic image information recording and reproducing system that obtains a radiographic image of a subject using a stimulable phosphor has been attracting attention.

Here, storage fluorophores are radiation (X-rays, α-rays, β-rays, T-rays,
A phosphor that accumulates a portion of this radiation energy when irradiated with radiation (rays, electron beams, ultraviolet rays, etc.) and then emits stimulated luminescence light corresponding to the accumulated energy when irradiated with excitation light such as visible light. The radiation image information recording and reproducing system described above utilizes this stimulable phosphor, and the radiation image information of a subject such as a human body is first recorded on a sheet having a layer of stimulable phosphor (hereinafter referred to as ``stimulable phosphor''). "Light Sheet" or simply "
This stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with excitation light such as a laser beam to generate stimulated luminescent light, and the resulting stimulated luminescent light is read photoelectrically to generate an image signal. Based on this image signal, the radiation image of the subject is output as a visible image to a recording material such as a photographic light-sensitive material or a CRT. Note that this type of technology is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 55-12429 and 56-11395, etc.

However, this system has the practical advantage of being able to record images over a much wider radiation exposure range than conventional radiographic systems using intensifying screens and X-ray film. That is, in a stimulable phosphor, it is recognized that the amount of emitted light that is stimulated to emit light due to excitation after accumulation is proportional to the amount of radiation exposure over an extremely wide range. Therefore, even if the amount of radiation exposure varies considerably due to various shadow conditions, the amount of emitted light is read by the photoelectric conversion means with the reading gain set to an appropriate value and converted into an electrical signal, and this electrical signal is converted into an electrical signal. If this is used to output a visible image to a recording material such as a photographic light-sensitive material or to a CRT display device, a radiation image that is not affected by fluctuations in radiation exposure can be obtained.

In addition, according to this system, after converting the radiation image information stored in the stimulable phosphor into an electrical signal, appropriate signal processing is performed, and this electrical signal is used to record materials such as photographic light-sensitive materials, CRTs, etc. It is also possible to output a visible image to a display device, thereby obtaining a very great effect of obtaining a radiation image with excellent suitability for observation and interpretation (diagnosis suitability).

In such radiation image information recording and reproducing systems, the stimulable phosphor sheet does not store image information;
As mentioned above, this stimulable phosphor sheet may be used repeatedly because it only temporarily holds radiation image information in order to finally provide an image on a recording medium. Repeated use in this manner is extremely economical and convenient.

Therefore, in order to reuse the stimulable phosphor sheet, the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet after reading has been performed by irradiation with excitation light is released by irradiation with light to create a residual radiation image. The technique for removing the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1983-1973. No. 11392.

By the way, inside the erasing mechanism, since it is necessary to emit almost all of the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet, an erasing irradiation light source with as much luminosity as possible is arranged.
The afterimage image is erased based on this irradiation light. However, in order for the light from this irradiation light source to almost completely erase the image remaining on the sheet in a short time, it is necessary to increase the number of light sources themselves and the amount of light. The heat becomes excessive, and there is a risk that the eraser main body, sheet, and peripheral mechanisms may be damaged by this heat. To this end, it is conceivable to provide the erasing mechanism with forced heat radiation means such as an electric fan.

However, as will be described later, if this radiation image information recording and reproducing system is of a standing type, for example, the erasing mechanism has a structure in which the stimulable phosphor sheet is conveyed vertically upward via nip rollers. Generally, when a stimulable phosphor sheet for erasing a residual image is introduced into the erasing mechanism under the biasing action of the forced heat dissipation means, the forced heat dissipation means The generated cooling air winds up the stimulable phosphor sheet, that is, bends the stimulable phosphor sheet, exposing the inconvenience that the sheet is not conveyed to the desired position. In other words, Generally, in an upright type radiation image information recording/reproducing system, an image recording section, an image reading section, and a residual image erasing section are arranged in a ring shape via a circulating conveyance system. For this purpose, a conveyance system passing through an image reading section and a residual image erasing section extends in the vertical direction, and on the other hand, a laser beam from a laser light source is scanned to obtain stimulated luminescence light from a stimulable phosphor sheet to obtain image information. The conveyance system of the image reading unit extends horizontally.Therefore, the stimulable phosphor sheet is introduced into the erasing mechanism through the image reading unit, and at that time, forced heat dissipation means such as a fan is used. When the stimulable phosphor sheet is energized, the thin and highly flexible stimulable phosphor sheet bends easily in order to suck in the hot air inside the erasing mechanism and lead it out to the outside. In order to avoid the inconvenience of not being able to reach the optimal position for image erasing, it is natural to consider providing a plate-shaped guide member inside the erasing mechanism, but this guide member may This method has the disadvantage that residual images cannot be sufficiently erased because shadows are formed on the stimulable phosphor sheet.

Therefore, as a result of intensive research and ingenuity, the inventor of the present invention found that
The erasing mechanism is shaped like a box, a part of the box is equipped with a duct that communicates with the outside, an electric exhaust fan is installed in the part of the box that communicates with the duct, and the box is equipped with a cumulated fluorescent light. By providing an opening for introducing and leading out the stimulable phosphor sheet, and further arranging a wire-like or thread-like guide member in the box near the opening, the stimulable phosphor sheet can be irradiated with erasing light. The heat inside the box is forcibly led out under the energization of the fan without reducing efficiency, and the stimulable phosphor sheet is effectively prevented from being bent by the guide member,
Furthermore, since the guide member is wire-like or thread-like, it does not cast a clear shadow on the stimulable phosphor sheet, and therefore, residual images can be almost completely erased without being affected by the guide member. It has been found that an erasing unit for phosphor sheets is available which eliminates the aforementioned concerns.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to guide the stimulable phosphor sheet to a desired position without being bent when erasing the radiation image remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet by irradiating it with erasing light, and to use an erasing light source. An object of the present invention is to provide an erasing unit for a stimulable phosphor sheet, which is capable of forcibly discharging heat generated from the phosphor sheet to the outside and erasing residual images without lowering the irradiation efficiency of erasing light.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention irradiates a stimulable phosphor sheet on which a radiation image has been stored and recorded with excitation light to cause the radiation image to be emitted as stimulated luminescence light. In contrast to an image reading mechanism that reads an image using an optical element and converts it into an electrical signal, in an erasing mechanism that erases an image remaining on a stimulable phosphor sheet after reading by irradiating erasing light, the erasing mechanism internally erases the image remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet. a casing in which a light source is disposed and has openings on its upper and lower walls for leading out and introducing a stimulable phosphor sheet; a conveyance means for carrying the stimulable phosphor sheet into the housing, positioning it at a predetermined position, and carrying it out from the predetermined position; forming a heat radiation hole in the wall of the housing; Correspondingly, an electric fan is disposed to discharge hot air generated inside the housing to the outside when the erasing light source is turned on, and the electric fan is located inside the housing and at least between the electric fan and the upper wall surface. The present invention is characterized in that a guide member is provided to prevent the stimulable phosphor sheet from being bent due to the airflow caused by the driving of the stimulable phosphor sheet.

Next, preferred embodiments of the erasing unit for stimulable phosphor sheets according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, a radiation image information recording/reading apparatus in which an erasing unit according to the present invention is incorporated together with an image recording section and an image reading section will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates an upright type radiation image information recording/reading device, and the device 10 has a first housing 12 extending in the vertical direction and a second housing 1 extending in the horizontal direction.
4. A photographing section (image recording section) 16 is disposed above the front surface of the first housing 12, and an operation section 18 is disposed above the side wall thereof.

Next, the internal configurations of the first housing 12 and the second housing 14 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

A pair of sheet receiving rollers 20 for receiving photographed sheets is disposed inside and below the image recording section 16, and below this pair of rollers 20 is a first guide member 22 and a pair of rollers corresponding to the guide member 22 and arranged vertically. A second guide member 24 extending in the direction is provided.

A third guide member 26 is further disposed below the first and second guide members 22, 24 via a pair of rollers. A pair of rollers is pivotally supported between the third guide member 26 and a fourth guide member 28 provided below. Furthermore, a pair of rollers is provided below the fourth guide member 28, and an endless first conveyor belt 30 that is bent at an internal corner of the first housing 12 is provided below the pair of rollers. The conveyor belt 30 terminates at the lower center of the second housing 14 . Next, the 111th feeding belt 30
An endless second conveyor belt 32 is disposed a little apart from the terminal end of the conveyor belt 32 . This second conveyor belt 32
The housing 14 is bent upward at a corner thereof, and a roller group 34 is disposed at the inner bent part. An endless third conveyor belt 36 and a fourth conveyor belt 38 extend horizontally at a distance from the terminal end of the conveyor belt 32. An endless fifth belt 40 is provided close to the terminal end of the fourth conveyor belt 38 and bent further upward. A roller group 42 is provided on one side of the belt 40. Above the 5111th feed belt 40 and roller group 42, a pair of opposing guide members 44 is further disposed, and above the guide member 44, a guide member 46 is disposed via a pair of rollers. be done. An erasing unit according to the present invention is installed above the guide member 46.

Details of this erasing unit will be described later. A shorter guide member 48 is disposed above the erasing unit, and a guide member 50 is further disposed above the guide member 48. An endless bent conveyor belt 52 is provided at the end of the guide member 50 . As can be understood from the figure, this conveyor belt 52 is located approximately at the top of the first housing 12. Since this conveyor belt 52 has a bending structure as described above, a roller group 54 is provided inside the conveyor belt 52. Furthermore, a pair of rollers 56 is provided below the conveyor belt 52 and the roller group 54.
．． 58 is provided to supply the stimulable phosphor sheet to the image recording section 16 including the imaging surface 60.

The above is the basic configuration of the transport system for the stimulable phosphor sheet in the radiation image information recording/reading apparatus 10.

Next, a reading section arranged in relation to the transport system will be explained.

The reading unit 62 basically includes a laser light source 64, a scanning optical system (not shown) including a galvanometer mirror for scanning a sheet with the laser light emitted from the laser light source 64, a condensing reflection mirror 66, and a scanning optical system. It includes a condensing optical element 68 that effectively condenses a part of the stimulated luminescent light emitted from the sheet by the laser beam and the stimulated luminescent light reflected by the reflecting mirror 66. Note that a photomultiplier 70 is attached to the top of the condensing optical element 68.

Therefore, the erasing unit according to the present invention is shown in FIGS.
100 basically includes a housing 102, transport means 104 and 106 disposed above and below both ends of this housing 102, and the housing 1.
02 includes first to fourth light sources 108a to 108d for irradiating erasing light. In this case, the housing 102 may be effective in reflecting the erasing light from the light sources 108a to 108d if its inner wall is mirror-finished or a reflective thin film or plate is attached to the inner wall. be. An angle member 110 is fixed to the lower end of the housing 102, and the angle member 110 is engaged with a part of the first housing 12, so that the housing 102 is positioned on the first housing 12. become. Housing 1
Openings 112a and 112b are formed at positions corresponding to the transport means 104 and 106 of 02, respectively, and guide members 113a to 113c are provided in the housing 102 near the openings 112a and 112b, respectively.
114a to 114c are arranged in parallel to each other at equal intervals. In this case, the guide members 113a to 113C and the guide members 114a to 114c are formed by bending thin and highly rigid wire members into a right triangle shape, and as shown in FIG. Then, it is fixed to the side wall of the casing 102 with screws or the like. In this case, the guide members 113a to 113c and 114a to 114c may be made of synthetic resin with high heat resistance.
Furthermore, the respective openings 112a and 1 are opened around the erasing light source.
It is preferable to form an inclined surface oriented toward 12b, since the sheet can be guided smoothly, which will be described later.

Next, a pair of nip rollers 116a and 116b constituting the conveying means 104 are arranged outside the opening 112a and surrounded by the first casing 117a so as to be in sliding contact with each other. Similarly, nip rollers 118a and 118b forming the conveying means 106
are surrounded by the second housing 117b so as to be in sliding contact with each other. Elastic members, ie, coil springs 120a and 120b, are suspended from the nip rollers 116b and 118b using the casings 117a and 117b, respectively. Sliding contact.

Conveying means 104 and conveying means 1 formed in this way
Holes 122a and 122b corresponding to the opening 112a are formed in the casings 117a and 117b surrounding the opening 112a.

Furthermore, a detection portion 128 of a microswitch 126 is in sliding contact with the nip roller 116b. On the other hand, the housing 1
The motor 1 is located close to the angle member 110 that holds the motor 1.
A first sprocket 134 is fixed to the rotating shaft 132 of the motor 130. A chain 136 suspended from the first sprocket 134 meshes with a second sprocket 138 coaxially supported by the nip roller 116a, and extends further upward to connect the nip roller 1.
A third sprocket 1 coaxially supported with 18a
It also meshes with 40. The chain 136 is further connected to the housing 1
It meshes with the fourth sprocket 142 for the tensile system disposed on the side wall of 02, and the first sprocket 13
Return to 4.

A shaft 144 that holds the fourth sprocket 142 is configured to be displaced within a long hole 14B of a holding member 146 fixed to the housing 102 to hold the chain 136 at an optimum tension.

As a forced heat dissipation means for the casing 102, a through hole 154 is formed in the front wall surface 152 of the casing 102, which has a relatively small opening area and is elongated (extending in the vertical direction). A plurality of (four in the figure) through holes 158a to 158d having a larger opening area than the through hole 154 are formed in the through hole 154, and the four through holes 158a to 1
At 58d, electric fans 160a to 160 are driven in synchronization with the activation of the light sources 108a to 108d, respectively.
d is interposed. Further, on the outside of the side wall surface 156, a duct member 162 having a rectangular cross section is arranged so that the four through holes 158a to 158d are converged at the base end thereof.
are concatenated. Tip opening 1 of the duct member 162
64 penetrates the inside of the first housing 12 described above and is opened to the outside of the radiation image information recording/reading apparatus 10 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

On the other hand, inside the side wall surface 156, a reflecting plate body 166, which is smaller in area than the side wall surface 156, is fixed with a predetermined gap by bolts 168 or the like having both ends threaded. That is, the reflector body 166
are arranged as close as possible to the light sources 108a to 108d, and the surfaces on the light sources 108a to 108d side are mirror-finished. In this case, a reflective thin film or a reflective thin plate may be attached to the surface of the reflector body 166 instead of the mirror finish. In the figure, reference numeral 170 indicates the mirror surface portion.

The erasing unit for stimulable phosphor according to the present invention is basically constructed as described above, and its operation and effects will be explained next.

When radiation is applied to a subject (not shown) on the imaging surface 60 of the image recording section 16 and a radiation image of the subject is recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet 150, the stimulable phosphor sheet 150 is attached to the roller pair 20, the guide It is transported to the reading section 62 via the member 24, 26 and the transport belt 30, 32, 36. The reading section 62 scans the sheet 150 with a laser beam sent from a laser light source 64, and the stimulated luminescent light emitted from the sheet 150 is incident on the optical element 68 either directly or after being reflected by the mirror 66. let me,
This is converted into an electrical signal by the photomultiplier 70 and sent to a reproduction device (not shown).

The stimulable phosphor sheet 150 from which the image signal has been read in this way is transferred to the conveyor belt 3 after the reading operation is completed.
8.40 to the guide member 44, and further via the guide member 46 to the nip rollers 116a, 116b. That is, the sheet 15 introduced from the hole 122a
0 is the housing 1 by the nip rollers 116a and 116b.
02, and in this way the nip roller 11
When the sheet 150 is sandwiched between the sheets 6a and 116b, the nip roller 116b lifts the roller 116b against the tensile force of the coil spring 120a due to its thickness. Therefore, the detection section 12 of the microswitch 126
8 detects this. This detection signal causes the motor 130 to
When the chain 136 rotates, the chain 136 moves, and this chain 1
36 rotates second sprocket 138. As mentioned above, the second sprocket 138 is connected to the nip roller 11
Since the nip roller 116a is disposed coaxially with the rotation axis of the sprocket 138, the nip roller 116a that rotates under the rotational action of the sprocket 138 simultaneously rotates the nip roller 116b that is in sliding contact with the nip roller 116a. Derived upwards.

In other words, the microsinch 126 whose tip comes into contact with the nip roller 116b has a seal 150 as described above.
When supplied from the reader side, it closes its contacts and the resulting electrical signal causes the motor 130 to rotate.

By the way, in this way the nip roller 116a.

The sheet 150 is introduced into the casing 102 from the opening 112a while being held by the casing 116b. During this time, inside the casing 102, the light sources 108aS108b,
108c and 108d are energized, while the housing 102 produced by these light sources 108a to 108d
The hot air inside is led to the outside by driving electric fans 160a to 106d. That is, inside the housing 102, there is always a third
In the figure, there is an air flow flowing in the direction of arrow B. Therefore, the highly flexible sheet 150 tends to bend in the direction of the airflow, as shown by the broken line. However, according to the present invention, the guide members 114a to 114c
are disposed inside the housing 102, the sheet 150 is guided by these guide members 114a to 114c.
The distal end portion is restricted from bending and is suitably guided toward the opening 112b. That is, the leading end of the sheet 150 comes into contact with the slopes of the guide members 114a to 114c and is guided along the slopes toward the opening ttzb. In this way, the sheet 150 passes through the opening 112b and the nip roller 118 rotates under the action of the third sprocket 140.
a, when reaching 118b, the 27 propeller 116bS11
Since the sheet 150 is detached from the coil spring 1
20a, the nip roller 116b is displaced in the direction of arrow A in FIG. As a result, the detection section 128 of the microswitch 126 is also displaced in the same direction. Therefore, the displacement signal is sent to motor 130, causing it to rotate in the opposite direction. That is, the nip roller 118a.

The sheet 150 held by 118b returns again toward the nip rollers 116aS116b. During this time, similarly to the above, the airflow flowing in the direction of arrow B due to the drive of the electric fans 160a to 160d attempts to roll up the tail end of the fan 150 and bend it toward the fan. However, such action is preferably prevented by the guide members 113a to 113c. That is, the tail end of the sheet 150 comes into contact with the inclined surfaces of the guide members 113a to 113c and is guided toward the opening 112a. When the sheet 150 is held again by the nip rollers 116a and 116b, the detection section 12 of the microswitch 126
8 is again displaced due to its thickness and this displacement signal stops the motor 130. In this way, the sheet 150 is transferred between the nip rollers 116a and 116b and the nip roller 11.
8a and 118b.

During this time, the light sources 108a, 108b, 108c, and 108d remain lit. Therefore, the light source 108a
The illumination light emitted from 108d to 108d is sufficiently reflected inside the housing 102 and is focused onto the stimulable phosphor sheet. In this case, the light sources 108a to 108d and the sheet 15
0, guide members 113a to 113c and 11
4a to 114c are present. However, since these guide members are substantially made of thin wires, they do not cause any shadows, and they are not easily attached to the housing 102.
Since the interior of the guide members 113a to 113c and 114a to 114d is mirror-finished, the reflected light is diffusely reflected and does not cast clear shadows on the surface of the sheet 150. In this way, the remaining radiation image inside the housing 102 is almost completely erased. In addition, as the light sources 108a to 108d are turned on, the electric fans 160a to 160d are operated as described above, so that the high temperature air inside the housing 102 due to the heat generated by the light sources 108a to 108d flows as shown by arrow B in FIG. Flowing duct member 16
At the same time, cold air is introduced from the through hole 154. Therefore, the inside of the housing 102 is forcibly cooled by the cooling air introduced through the through hole 154.

After the erasing action is performed in this way, the motor 13
0 is energized to move the chain 136 and seat 15
0 is held by rollers 118a and 118b and transported toward the guide member 48. Since the residual image on the stimulable phosphor sheet 150 that has reached the guide member 48 has already been almost completely erased, the transport belt 52 and roller pair 5
6.58 to the image recording unit 16, there is no problem in taking the next radiographic image.

According to the present invention, in the standing type radiation image information recording and reproducing system as described above, a fan is provided inside the erasing mechanism incorporated therein for guiding the hot air generated by the erasing light source to the outside. In order to avoid bending of the stimulable phosphor sheet under the action of the air currents generated by the actuator, a guide member is provided which is made of a wire-like thin member. This prevents flexing of the stimulable phosphor sheet inside the housing, while preventing the guide member from projecting its own shadow onto the sheet under the energization of the erasing light source. . the guide member is made of a wire-like thin metal mold or a synthetic resin member;
Furthermore, since the inner wall surface of the erasing box that constitutes the erasing mechanism has a mirror finish with high reflection efficiency, or a corresponding reflective film is formed, the irradiated light is effectively diffused and the shadows on the guide member itself are moderately reduced. This is because you can accomplish the work you want to do.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.
For example, in a structure in which the sheet is not positioned between nip rollers provided at the upper and lower ends of the erasing housing, it is possible to provide a guide member only on the upper inner wall of the housing. Of course, various improvements and design changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention, such as obtaining the following effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a radiation image information recording/reading device, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an example of an embodiment of the erasing unit for stimulable phosphor sheets of the present invention. 4 is a side view of the unit shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the unit shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is an erasing unit showing the arrangement of the guide member of the present invention. It is a partially omitted perspective explanatory view. 10...Radiation image information recording/reading device 12.14...Housing 16...Photographing surface 18...
Operation unit 20... Sheet receiving roller pair 22.24.26.28... Guide member 30.32...
Conveyance belt 34...Roller group 36.38.40...Conveyance belt 42...Roller group 44.46.48.50...Guide member 52...Conveyance belt 54...Roller group 56.58...Roller pair 60 ...Photographing surface 62...
Reading unit 64...Laser light source 66...Reflecting mirror for condensing 68...Condensing optical element 70...Photomul 100...Erasing unit 102 for stimulable phosphor sheet
・Housing 104.106...Transportation means 108a to 108d
...Light source 110...Angle member 112a, 1
12b...Openings 113a to 113c, 114a to
114c--Guide members 116a, 116b...
Nip rollers 117a, 117b...Housing 118a, 118b...Nip roller 120a
, 120b...Coil spring 126...Micro switch 128...Detection section 130...Motor
132... Rotating shaft 134... Sprocket
136...Chain 138.140.142
... Sprocket 144 ... Shaft 146
・・Holding member 148 ・・Long hole 150 ・・Stormable phosphor sheet 152 ・・Front wall surface 154 ・・Through hole 15
6.-Side wall surface 158a=158d-・Through holes 160a to 160d・・Electric fan 162・・Duct member 164・・Tip opening 166・・Reflector body 168・・・Bolt 170・・・Specular part procedure correction form (auto Ship April 27, 1985 1, Incident Indication 1985 Patent Application No. 070
703 No. 2, Name of the invention Erasing unit for stimulable phosphor sheet 3, Relationship to the case of the person making the amendment Patent applicant Address 210 Nakanuma, Minamiashigara City, Kanagawa Prefecture Name Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. 4, Agent

Claims (9)

[Claims] (1) A stimulable phosphor sheet on which a radiation image has been accumulated is irradiated with excitation light to emit the radiation image as stimulated luminescence light, and this stimulated luminescence light is read by an optical element and converted into an electrical signal. In contrast to the image reading mechanism that converts images, there is an erasing mechanism that erases the image remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet after reading by irradiating it with erasing light, and the erasing mechanism has an erasing light source disposed therein and an erasing light source disposed therein. A casing having openings on a wall surface and a lower wall surface for leading out and introducing a stimulable phosphor sheet, respectively; a conveying means for transporting the casing into the housing, positioning it at a predetermined position, and transporting it from the predetermined position, forming a heat radiation through hole in the wall surface of the casing, and lighting the casing with an erasing light source corresponding to the through hole. An electric fan is disposed for discharging hot air generated inside the body to the outside, and an air flow generated by the electric fan is generated between at least the electric fan and the upper wall surface within the housing. 1. An erasing unit for a stimulable phosphor sheet, comprising a guide member for preventing bending of the stimulable phosphor sheet. (2) In the unit according to claim 1,
A stimulable phosphor sheet erasing unit in which the guide members are respectively disposed between the electric fan and the upper wall opening and between the electric fan and the lower wall opening. (3) An erasing unit for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least a portion of the inner wall surface of the housing is mirror-finished. (4) In the unit according to claim 1 or 2, the casing has a reflective thin film or a reflective thin plate attached to at least a part of its inner wall. unit. (5) In the unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a stimulable fluorescent light source is provided between the electric fan and the erasing light source, and a reflecting plate facing the heat dissipation hole is provided. Erasing unit for body sheets. (6) In the unit according to claim 5,
The reflector is an erasing unit for stimulable phosphor sheets whose surface on the light source side has a mirror finish. (7) In the unit described in claim 5,
The reflector is an erasing unit for a stimulable phosphor sheet that has a reflective thin film or reflective thin plate attached to the light source side surface. (8) An erasing unit for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the guide member is made of a linear metal member or a synthetic resin member. (9) In the unit described in claim 8,
An erasing unit for a stimulable phosphor sheet, wherein the guide member has a sloped portion directed from the erasing light source to openings in the upper wall surface and the lower wall surface.